Ripped to Shreds
by maca101
Summary: Pre-movie. After a disastrous blizzard, the Guardians decide the only way to deal with Jack is to take away his powers over winter. Rated T for possible language.
1. Chapter 1

"He is too dangerous! How many more innocent people have to die before we do something?" E. Aster Bunnymund was pacing the Globe room of Santoff Clausen furiously making wild gestures with his paws as he talked. The other three guardians, North, Toothiana and Sanderson, were all displaying varying degrees of stress and anxiety. Sandy was the calmest, gazing off into the distance as if lost in thought, North was sitting by himself glaring at a spot on the polished wooden floor while Tooth was fluttering nervously, clutching at the feathers adorning her body.

"But how do you stop an elemental spirit from doing, well, the only thing that they can do?" Tooth asked fretfully. North considered the question for a minute before his eyes lit up.

"I know! There is ancient spirits, who have the ability to suppress another's powers. They wander the planet but I happen to know a resting place of theirs. We lure the boy and then BAM! He has no powers and the world is safe place once again." North looked around excitedly, waiting for the others reaction. Sandy frowned, and then grinned, forming a big tick above his head.

"Won't that destroy him? He _is_ still a child after all…" Tooth chewed her lip worriedly.

Yes but Tooth, he has ripped apart families. After all, everyone knows that winter is the season of death. I think we should do it." Agreed Bunny.

"Oh all right, I'm in too; I just hope the after effects aren't too horrible." North grinned, it was time to put their plan into action.

ooOOoo

Jack Frost flew into his cave and promptly curled up into a ball. The wind whispered comforting words into his ear, trying to lift his mood. Jack hadn't meant to do it. But it was self-defence against the other spirits. They had taken his staff and beaten him up and a blue light had just kind of exploded from him causing the biggest blizzard in a century. Many had died, _children_ had died and it was his entire fault. He wondered how long it was before the Guardians would come hunting him, baying for his blood. Sighing, he sat up, and focused on his breathing so he could hopefully calm the storm down. After thirty minutes, he gave up, the storm too riled at the moment to listen to him. Jack felt as if a huge hole had been ripped into his chest, his depressed emotions crushing him. He screamed at the sky, asking why it had to be him that was so rejected, so unwanted. Why it had to be him that was walked through every. Single. Day. Being walked through was like being blown apart and then pieced back together one piece at a time. The pain only lasted a few seconds but it was a pain one could never get used to. Jack just wanted to be accepted, wanted, loved. But how could anyone want to be near him when he was the spirit of death?

ooOOoo

Unbeknownst to Jack Frost, a small golden man had crept up to the entrance of his cave and with a quick flick of his arm, Jack was out cold. More sand spun away from the golden man and wrapped around Jack's arms and legs, securing him so he couldn't escape when he wakes. He was lifted up and the golden man pulled him along outside to where a red sleigh was waiting with the other three guardians.

"Did you get him alright Sandy? No struggle?" Bunny twitched angrily at the sight of the unconscious spirit. The golden man shook his head and motioned for North to go on.

"You know what North? I think that I might go my way, this tin can looks like it's on its last flight…" Bunny made to jump out of the sleigh onto the ground where he could escape the confines of his worst nightmare but was held back by a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think so Bunny, you don't know where you are going and my sleigh is faster!" North chuckled at Bunny's discomfort at flying, while Bunny just scowled before turning to Sandy who was making sure there was no way for Jack to escape. He didn't get how one boy could cause so much grief and despair. The recent blizzard in America had been catastrophic and Bunny had had no idea Jack was that powerful. If only they knew, if only they had stopped him, if only… Bunny was shaken out of his thoughts by Tooth's shout of surprise. Far down below there was a group of spirits gathered around a twinkling purple fire, the faint sounds of talking and laughter drifting up to the occupants of the sleigh.

"Right, let's get this thing over with yes?" North steered the sleigh down to a small clearing a short way away from the group of spirits.

ooOOoo

The first thing Jack was aware of was tight ropes around him, keeping him from moving, then he was aware of the quiet voices around him and the wind rushing past furiously as it tried to keep up with Jack. He kept himself relaxed but alert, trying to recognize the people around him and depending on who they were, he started to develop an escape plan. His hopes plummeted when he realized that his captors were none other than the Big Four. He would have to wait until they removed the ropes around him to escape but he doubted they were _that_ stupid. He listened intently, trying to work out where they were taking him, it was somewhere cold and he couldn't smell any pollution in the air so it was obviously somewhere away from civilisation. He nearly started when Tooth shouted out loud and then heard North talking about getting 'something over with', whatever _it_ was, it couldn't be good. His heart started to pound, the guardians could be vicious when it came to protecting children, and he didn't like to think of what they were planning to do with him. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a rough shake to the shoulder and his eyes snapped open to see Bunny glaring down at him.

"Alright show pony, don't try anything, you need to answer for what you've done. Don't try anything, we left your staff in your cave so you are powerless, I hope you rot in hell." Bunny spat at him, his face twisted into one of disgust and anger. Jack, however, kept his face neutral and chose not to reply. Knowing that resisting would make whatever they were planning worse. He did feel a flare of panic when he said his staff was still where he left it, that meant the only way out of it was too explode and Jack didn't want to hurt anyone, he never did. Over the past three centuries, all the deaths and injuries caused by him had been an accident, he couldn't help it. There was no one there to help him, it was just him and the wind. But the guardians didn't care about that, they never listened, no one ever did.

The four guardians pulled Jack along to the group of spirits, hoping that they would understand and rid the world of this nuisance.

"Greetings, wise ones!" North stepped forwards out of the shadows. One spirit stood and walked forward to greet the guardians. She had a mane of black hair that tumbled down over her shoulders, her skin was as pale as milk and her eyes were steely blue. She wore shimmering robes that blended into the background.

"Greetings, Guardians. I am Ilene. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She smiled up at them and they realised with a shock that her teeth were filed into perfect points. It took all Tooth's willpower to not shudder at the sight.

"We were hoping for a favour from you, this winter spirit, Jack Frost, has become dangerous and out of control. He has killed many and we hoped you would be able to put a stop to all that." The three guardians behind North stood silently, waiting with bated breath to hear what the outcome would be.

"Hmm, bring him forward. I would like to speak with him but yes, I will help you." Jack was shoved forward and he grimaced in pain when his bruised ribs from his earlier beating throbbed painfully. He looked up at the spirit before him and knew he was doomed, there was a look in her eyes that reminded him of the spirits that would hunt him down and beat him, it was the look of absolute cruelty.

"So you are the one to have caused so much havoc, so young yet so powerful. It is a pity to see such power wasted, if I had only met you earlier maybe I could have helped you but it is too late. The seeds of hate and fear have been planted in your mind and if left unchecked you would destroy everything in your path. Thankfully, I can stop that, by taking away your powers over winter. I will leave your immorality though, as a reminder of what you have done." She smiled down at him as though she were doing him a great favour but Jack could not stop the panic racing through him at the thought of being alone and unseen for the rest of his very long life without his powers that made life enjoyable. He would be nothing without those powers, nothing at all. He dropped his head, his eyes closed. There was no way for him to escape, she would take his powers, he would live on as an empty shell. They might as well kill him.

"Just kill me. There will be no point to my existence. Just…kill me." He knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself against the accusations, his protests would just give him more trouble.

"Oh but dear, death would be too kind a punishment, you must endure through the years, to suffer all the pain you have caused over the past three hundred years. Bring him over here, we must do this now." Jack let himself be jostled to another clearing, the other spirits forming a ring around him and Ilene. The guardians hovered around the outside, watching intently. The ropes of dream sand fell away and Ilene forced him to his knees in front of her.

"On this night, we do what we must to save the people of the Earth from a monster. We do it in the name of the families who have been torn apart, in the name of the lost souls who never made it home. On this night we will take his power to do evil and leave him with only his immortality so he can suffer those fates over and over again. On this night, we will save thousands." With that her eyes started to glow an eerie blue, a blue flame appearing in her hand. Jack found himself frozen in place, unable to move. He had never been so scared. He closed his eyes, listening to the wind for the last time as it spoke the world's secrets in his ear, trying to get him to come and play. It was confused when he just knelt there, roaring angrily at the woman in front of him when it realised what she was doing. The wind could do nothing but watch as the woman prepared to take away its only friend. Ilene's hand descended, coming to rest on Jack's forehead. She began to speak in a foreign tongue known only to the spirits in the circle. Jack gasped as the fire engulfed him, it flickered greedily reaching into him, trying to find his power. He felt like he was being ripped to shreds as the fire dragged out his power. He let a high keening wail that sounded more like an animal than human. He was no longer aware of his surroundings, focusing only on the pain as it tore through him. And then it was gone and the fire left as quickly as it came back through Ilene's hand. He fell forward, his arms wrapped around him. His breath came in ragged gasps, he felt like there was nothing inside of him, he had never felt so hollow. As the last of the pain receded he felt his mind go blank and he stood, turning away from the woman in front of him. He strode away and no one stopped him, it was completely silent. Once away from everyone, he began to run as fast as his legs would carry him.

ooOOoo

Back at the clearing, the guardians could do nothing but stand in shock. It was not a nice thing to watch but they had no choice, although they couldn't help but feel slightly shocked at the dead look in Jack's eyes and they would never forget that sound he made as his powers were ripped from his body. Bunny came to his senses first, stepping forward.

"Thank you, I think…" He fidgeted nervously, tonight was something he would never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

"I know it can be hard to watch, but it was for the best. Think of all the lives you saved." She smiled down at them, before turning away and disappearing after her people who had left as soon as the ritual had ended.

"I don't know if we did the right thing… Did you hear his scream?" Tooth looked shaken, almost horrified she had allowed that to happen. Sandy beside her placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry Tooth, think of all the children that are safe now. We had better go, there are too many things that need doing." North led them back to the sleigh, turning back for one last look at the clearing before guiding the reindeer back to the Pole.

ooOOoo

Jack didn't know what to do, he was lost in the middle of a forest, he had had his powers ripped away from him and worst of all, he could no longer ride the wind nor understand what it was saying. He had lost his only friend and Jack had never been so lonely. On the other hand, he was furious at the guardians for taking control and taking away his powers. He didn't understand what they were thinking when they captured him, did they understand the magnitude of what they had done? He fell to the ground, misery taking hold. What would he do with the rest of his life? What would be his purpose in life now that he wasn't needed to spread winter? Was he just supposed to wonder around for the rest of his days? He felt great sobs wrack his body, his grief wrapping around his body, he eventually sobbed himself to sleep.

Waking up in the morning, Jack was terrified to see a group of oth-no, not other, a group of elemental spirits surrounding him. But instead of the usual sneers, they wore expressions of horror and revulsion. He stood up warily, his joints screeching in protest.

"What do you want?" Jack's voice came out no more than a whisper. He kept his eyes to the ground, not able to meet their eyes, it would only remind him of what he lost.

"Who did this to you? How-how could they do this? DO they not understand what repercussions this could have…? They seemed to feel sorry for Jack but he still didn't trust them, not after everything they had done to him.

"It was the guardians. They decided I was too dangerous, so they got another spirit to take away my powers over winter." Ripples of shock fluttered across the small crowd and they bowed their heads, a silent moment for the fallen spirit. Jack could not understand their strange behaviour, it was as if they felt sorry for him. But even though the spirits treated him cruelly they would not stand for any outsider hurting another elemental.

"We are deeply sorry for what we did in the past, what has happened to you is despicable and the guardians had no right to do what they did." Jack looked around suspiciously, but there was only looks of sincerity and sadness, even anger in some of the spirits faces.

"Right, but apologies aren't exactly going to change anything or give me my powers back. But I am in no position to hold grudges, so I forgive you. But how did you know what happened to me?"

"The wind was especially violent so we listened in on the happenings of the world and the trees were speaking of a winter spirit having his very soul ripped from his body by a soul-eater. We came as fast as we could and we have decided that we cannot allow this to go unpunished. We will help you in any way we can." The fierce protectiveness in the spirits voices surprised Jack, but it made him feel a tiny bit better that he had some protection from the harsh world.

"Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me. I-is there any way for me to get my powers back? It feels like they have ripped a hole in me, it aches so much. I can't do this! I-it is too hard, am I just supposed to live out my days as an immortal spirit with no abilities and unable to be seen by any mortal?" Jack couldn't help the breakdown, it had to happen eventually and he felt himself grow hysterical and start to shake.

"Jack, we will find a way to help you, we will do something! No matter what happens, you will always have a home with us. But there should be a way to get your powers back. There has to be! Just try and slow your breathing before you pass out." The summer spirit stepped forward, placing his hands on Jack's shoulders he forced him to look up. "It will be alright. Don't lose hope, I know this is hard but we will make the guardians pay for what they did." Jack managed the smallest of smiles at the summer spirit, even though it was forced, it was a start.

"What do I do now?"

"Come with us to a safe place where you can recover, then we will search for a way to heal you."

"Is there even a way?" Jack heard his voice tremble with fear, what if there wasn't a way to fix this and he was stuck like this forever?

"Jack! Focus! Sleep now and the wind will carry you to a stronghold." The summer spirits voice was calm and soothing and Jack found himself sagging. Sleep soon had him in its claws and as he drifted off he felt the soft caress of the wind on his face and despite his predicament, he smiled.

"I swear if I ever see those guardians again I'm going to make their lives miserable! In fact," here the summer spirit smiled evilly, "I will make it my mission to seek them out and make them suffer for what they have done. I don't care what I did to Jack in the past, this-this crime is…" One of the spring sprites stepped forward, placing a hand on Summer's shoulder.

"I know, but we must get Jack away from here. It will do him more harm than good if he has to stay in the same place _it_ happened." The spring sprite sniffed disdainfully before calling the wind, it swept down and ever so gently it picked up the sleeping Jack, carrying him away from the forest where he would hopefully never set foot again.

When Jack woke, he was on a bed in a strange room lit up by an eerie golden brown glow. The bed was wooden but it seemed as if small trees had grown in a twisted fashion rather than bits of wood nailed together to make the bed. The blanket covering him was made out of what looked like red leaves. Autumn, he thought suddenly, I must be in an autumn spirits home. Climbing out of bed, he found himself reaching for his staff out of habit, only to remember with a jolt of pain that it was lying abandoned in a cave far away, now nothing more than an old dried stick. Sighing, he made his way cautiously over to the door, reaching for the door handle he was nearly knocked unconscious when the door swung open unexpectedly. Standing there was none other than Leif, the main Autumn spirit. He grinned when he saw Jack awake, he pushed a plate of food into the ex-spirit's hands.

"I'm glad you are awake, you have slept too long. We were getting worried." Here, Leif grimaced slightly, lost in thought.

"Thank you for the food, may I ask, how long was I asleep for?"

"Five days, we think your body was trying to recover from the shock of having your soul ripped out so violently." Jack could only stare in disbelief, how could he have slept for five days? That was the longest he had slept in three hundred years! Then frowning slightly, he asked; "Why does everyone keep saying my _soul_ was ripped out, didn't that spirit only take my powers?" Leif smiled sadly, before beckoning to Jack to follow him. Abandoning the plate of food, Jack rushed after Leif before he could get lost in the labyrinth of hallways that he was being led down. Speeding round the corner Jack stopped short, Leif had led him to a round stone room that was decorated with intricately carved trees that stretched up towards the ceiling. He stared in wonder before his eyes were drawn back down when someone cleared their throat. In front of him was an aging man, his white hair in a long plait down his back, he was wearing a simple black robe that was tied at his waist with a golden rope.

"Hello Jack, I am the Librarian." The wizened man smiled gently at the broken spirit before patting the space next to him on the couch he was sitting on. Jack walked cautiously over, his instincts not quite letting him relax, keeping him on high alert. He sat down, as far away as possible, before looking over suspiciously.

"Hello. What do you want?" He did not mean to sound rude but he had too many bad memories to let himself fall into a false sense of security.

"I am here to explain things to you, and hopefully help you recover your soul."

"What is it with all this talk about my soul? She took my powers not my soul, right?" Jack felt his eyes go wide, his breathing quickened.

"A spirits powers, when you are born, are bonded to that person's soul. They bind together, changing a person in more ways than one. Your hair turned white, your eyes changed colour, your skin paled, you obtained the powers over winter. Once bonded to your soul, it is impossible to break them apart. When that she-devil took your powers, your soul was taken along with it. The effects are…catastrophic. You will not notice the changes immediately, but eventually, you will fade. It takes a long time but it is very painful to go through, you will begin to forget parts of your life, you will become more withdrawn, you will stop doing anything until you turn into nothing." Jack felt horror at these words, this would destroy him, he would turn into nothing! This fate was crueller than anything he could think of, it was…

"Can you do anything? How do I stop it? I don't want this to happen…" Jack understood now why all the spirits were so horrified when they heard what happened.

"I have heard legends about a spirit who is older than the Mother Earth herself. A spirit who holds immense power, who keeps the Earth thrumming with power. She hid herself away from the world when those who wanted her power tried to hunt her down. For thousands of years she has watched the world, waiting for the right moment to rejoin the world. All legends have a grain of truth in them and I believe this one is the most truthful I have ever seen. Perhaps, we will find her, and maybe then, she will be able to save you but I fear she is your only chance. You must find her if you want to survive. I know this is a lot to take in but I will help you in any way that I can."

"Thank you, what else do you know of this spirit? What is her name?"

ooOOoo

The Easter Bunny was running through the tunnels of his Warren, he had a lot to do before next Easter. There many eggs to be painted, each one had to have a different design and there was only a month until Easter! He was so focused on his work he didn't notice a small spirit slip into the Warren down a long forgotten tunnel. The spirit had curly green hair and wore a yellow dress that reached her knees, her eyes sparked with a vengeful glint. Creeping down the tunnels she found her way to the main room of the Warren. Removing a note from her pocket she pinned it where the Easter bunny would easily see it. Turning down another tunnel which led outside to where the eggs would dry after being painted she called forth a rain cloud to drench the eggs, ruining the delicate patterns. Grinning, she turned and left as quickly as she had come. It would not take long for the bunny to find what she had done.

ooOOoo

The Tooth fairy was always busy, flitting around here and there. She seemed to exude a nervous energy that put anyone in the vicinity on edge. She rarely noticed her surroundings, always shouting out orders or alerting her workers to any teeth that needed collecting. It was simple for the small sprites to float down into the room where all the teeth were kept and switching all the teeth around. When their work there was done they left, but not before scorching a signature into the floor.

ooOOoo

North had locked himself in his office, working on a new toy design that he would painstakingly chip out of ice using tiny tools that would be more suited to elves dainty fingers than his giant hands. The yetis working on the production of the toys were hard at work, they had to hand make millions of toys and they did not like to be interrupted. The elves, as usual, were making a nuisance of themselves. They did not seem to understand orders, or rather they did, they just didn't care. With all the distraction going on it was easy enough for a short spirit clothed in gold to sneak into the workshop. Creeping into the Globe room, he created a storm with thunder and lightning, a wild wind blew everything about and for a finishing touch, a dusting of frost. He smiled maliciously, his work here was done, now all he had to do was wait for the show to begin.

ooOOoo

Sandy was high above a town in England, his streams of dream sand reaching into even the darkest corners of houses, chasing away the bad dreams and replacing them with good dreams. It was very peaceful up there, he could see everything. Well, nearly everything. A group of four sprites from four different seasons had started to create a massive storm by changing the temperature rapidly. This caused the clouds to crash together, lightning soon joined the black clouds gathering. The wind was happy to help the sprites intent on spreading havoc, it whipped the clouds up into a frenzy. The storm swirled everywhere, sending the dream sand off path. So loud was the storm that all the children soon woke up anyway. The sprites laughed at Sandy's attempts at calming the frightened children, if only that was the worst of what was to come. For the finale came a blizzard. Not a very large one, just one to set the guardian on edge. Cackling madly the four sprites flew away.

ooOOoo

It was midnight when the northern lights shone across the sky, lighting up the world in their brilliance. To mortals it was simply a pretty light show but to everyone else to was the guardians being called together. Back at Santoff Clausen, the four guardians were in a state of panic. It had seemed they had pissed the elemental spirits off majorly. They had come earlier in the night, causing havoc wherever they went. None of the guardians had expected such a backlash, in fact it was the first time the elementals had ever worked together in such a way.

"Did anyone else get a message?" Tooth asked nervously, her feathers fluffing up slightly.

"Yes, the spirits left a note pinned to the wall of my Warren. They ruined months of painted eggs!" Bunny paced back and forth, his ears flattened to the back of his head.

"What did it say?" North asked hesitantly.

"Tick Tock goes the clock." By now, Bunny was nearly as nervous as Tooth.

"I had two letters scorched into my palace floor and they switched all the teeth around and my fairies have spent hours trying to find the right boxes."

"What initials?" North sat forward, trying to hide his state of panic.

"A 'J' and an 'F'. Oh what are we going to do? This is a disaster. We should have known there would be a backlash." Tooth was in hysterics now, her voice rising higher and higher.

"How could we have known they would do this? They were never nice to him before now, I should know. The show pony was an outcast, nobody liked the spirit of death, I'm pretty sure the other elemental spirits even beat him up sometimes for some unknown reason."

Sandy tugged on North's coat, a series of images flashing above his head.

"Yes you are quite right Sandy, the elementals are, how shall I say it, they are fiercely protective of their own. But this, this is new. I wonder what they are going to do next as I highly doubt that was it. No, I think that was a warning, something to set us on edge. Make us paranoid."

"Well they're doing a bloody good job of it; Tooth looks like she's havin' a nervous breakdown." Bunny grumbled, throwing himself down in an armchair in front of the fire.

Far away, several sprites were putting one last finishing touch on their masterpiece. The phenomenon was like all four seasons being smashed together, causing a terrifying display of power. With the last message in place, they retreated to a safe place to watch the ensuing panic.

ooOOoo

A/N

So, there it is, nine pages later. I've had this one kicking around for a while but I just haven't gotten around to finishing it.

For those who might have read my other fic, 'The Price of Freedom', I will try and post the final chapter as soon as possible.

I have just been soo busy with school, I was ready to write lot's of chapters and post regularly but then school happened. Yay.

Thanks for reading,

.M.


	2. Chapter 2

**Recap:** _Far away, several sprites were putting one last finishing touch on their masterpiece. This phenomenon was like all four seasons being thrust together, causing a terrifying display of power. With the last message in place, they retreated to a safe place to watch the ensuing panic._

 _ooOOoo_

The guardians were now in a full-blown panic. For it seemed, while they were in their meeting the spirits struck again, this time playing havoc with the weather. It was pandemonium and the guardians were at a loss for what to do. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife with all four guardians pacing worriedly.

"Another message! And they seem to be getting more threatening…" Bunny exclaimed, his ears twitching nervously. His paws held tight to a small slip of paper that was found pinned to the door of North's workshop. It read only; ' _Click clack watch your back!'_ North had called a state of emergency until they were sure that everyone was safe. In all of history, the elemental spirits had never come together as they had for Jack. No one knew what to expect.

"We should have done something else, we should never have interfered with his powers," Tooth's wings were a metallic blur as she flitted about the room.

"It is too late for regrets now; we must plan ahead. Think of what to do next, yes?" North paced back and forth in front of the globe, racking his brain for ideas. Sandy, who had been sitting deep in thought, signed some images above his head.

"Yes, that might work, I suppose. Quite risky meeting up with them though, especially after all the warnings they have sent us." North's face went from worried to thoughtful as he considered Sandy's plan.

"Y-you can't actually be considering this mate? It's bloody bonkers and a sure-fire way to get us all killed." Bunny looked at North as though he was finally losing it.

"Maybe we can convince them to stop whatever it is their planning and… we can figure something out. Maybe Man in Moon will help us." Tooth gestured hopefully towards the hole in the ceiling where the Moon could be seen. The guardians looked up, hoping that Mim would have an answer. But they were out of luck, the moon's light seemed to shine coldly at them, they couldn't help but feel as though Mim was very disappointed in them. After all, wasn't it Mim himself who raised Jack from wherever he came from?

"It seems as though we are on our own for this one, who knows the best way to contact the spirits?"

"I know where one of the spirit's dwellings is, it is Spring's I think." Bunny replied, obviously not happy with what they were planning to do, it could not end well.

ooOOoo

Arriving at the Spring spirits house, the four guardians approached cautiously. North reached up and knocked the brass knocker against the sturdy wooden door. At a glance, the house just looked like any other tree but upon closer inspection you could see the little door, tiny windows and the odd personal touches of colourful flowers climbing their way up the tree's trunk.

The door in front of the guardians flew open to reveal a short blonde girl with sharp features in a green dress. Upon seeing them, her eyes narrowed dangerously, obviously, they weren't welcome.

"What do you want? Is ruining the life of one spirit not enough for you?" She glared up at them, making her hostility known.

"Just, let us speak please, we wanted to apologise Spring a-" Tooth was cut off suddenly.

"My name is Mae, and I don't know why you're apologising to me for, Jack isn't here. And if he was, you wouldn't be allowed anywhere near him. He's a _child_ and you ripped away his soul and left him for dead." Mae's fury was thunderous and the air around them seemed to grow tense, as if a storm was brewing.

"We didn't know, we didn't know what else to do, he was killing people." Bunny was shifting from side to side, obviously uncomfortable with the situation they were in.

"People die every day, whether it's because of the weather or illness, they are still going to die. You don't even understand what you've done. You took away winter, sure there are other winter spirits out there, but no-where near as powerful as Jack was. Jack was the main winter spirit and you just got rid of him, well done. I hope you are proud of yourselves." And with that Mae disappeared back into her house, slamming the door shut behind her.

Well, that went bloody brilliantly. What do we do now?"

"I don't know, I don't-I can't believe it. We've destroyed winter _and_ a child's life. We are supposed to protect all children, no matter who they are." Tooth cried hysterically while Sandy did his best to comfort her.

"I think, that for now, we should return to the Pole. We will think of something. To the sleigh!"

"You know, I think I might take my tunnels back mate. One trip is one trip too many already." Bunny said nervously while edging away from the bright red sleigh.

"Nonsense! Everyone loves the sleigh, and besides, it is lot faster." And with that, Bunny was unceremoniously dumped in the seat of the sleigh. The ride back to the pole was unseasonably warm, as if winter was simply disappearing.

ooOOoo

Jack stretched, stiff from sitting down for so long. He had learnt a great deal today and was looking forward to stretching his legs. Rising to his feet, he stumbled towards the door, only to be nearly knocked out as Leif came barrelling through.

"Sorry, but we've had word from the Guardians."

"What did they want?" Jack asked, what could they possibly want now he thought?

"They wanted to, apologise, if you can believe it. They went to Mae's house, honestly it was quite pathetic apparently. They didn't understand what happened at all." Leif rolled his eyes in anger, he always knew the Guardians would cause trouble one day. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened again.

"Hmm, well I don't think I will worry about them for now. I have learnt a lot today and I think I know how to get my soul back." Jack let the smallest of grins onto his face, it seemed too good to be true. He thought his powers were gone for good. Well, they still might be but at least he had a chance to get them back.

"That's good, would you like something to eat and we can discuss what you learnt?" Leif guided Jack through a twisting maze of corridors before coming to a stop outside a door. Upon entering, Jack was immediately hit by the smell of spices and the rusty orange and red shades decorating the room. In the middle of the room there was a table and chairs with a small feast. Jack's mouth watered at the sight.

"Dig in!" Leif let out a small chuckle when Jack practically dived at the table and immediately began devouring the food in front of him.

"So, what did you learn today?"

"There's a powerful spirit, one of the First. Her name is Laella and she oversees all the souls in the world. The Librarian said that if I found her she would be able to get my soul back!" Jack's eyes sparkled with hope.

"Where do we find her? We have to find her soon or you will fade and the other winter spirits can't keep up for long without you." Jack frowned worriedly at this, rubbing absentmindedly at his chest as if it pained him.

"Are you alright Jack? What's wrong?" Leif asked, fearing the worst.

"Nothing, really, it's just I feel kind of weird. Like there's a hole in my chest."

"It's starting, you're fading. So how do we find this spirit?"

"I don't know where she is exactly, she likes to wonder the Earth. But, there are a couple of places that she frequents often. If we go to one, it shouldn't be long before she appears."

"Excellent, you should finish eating and then get yourself off to bed. We will start planning tomorrow, and if all goes well, you will have your soul back before you fade too much."

"Thank you, I don't know what I would have done without any of your help." Jack smiled slightly, not quite meeting Leif's eyes. He still seemed wary of the other elementals but that was only to be expected. But having winter fade, it was having a disastrous effect on everyone. As much as winter was hated, it was impossible to live without.

ooOOoo

A/N:

So, there it is! It is a bit shorter than the last chapter but I wanted to update today. Would you guys prefer shorter chapters but have me update more often or longer chapters and less updates?

I would love it if you let me know what you think of the story in the reviews!

Thanks for reading,

.M.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Hey guys,

Thank you all so much for the response to the last chapter! It was awesome and thank you for all the ideas. This chapter will focus more on Jack and him trying to get his soul back. I will leave the Guardians for a little bit, they will come back to the story a little later on. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you thought in the reviews!

.M.

oOoOo

Recap: _"Excellent, you should finish eating and then get yourself off to bed. We will start planning tomorrow, and if all goes well, you will have your soul back before you fade too much."_

" _Thank you, I don't know what I would have done without any of your help." Jack smiled slightly, not quite meeting Leif's eyes. He still seemed wary of the other elementals but that was only to be expected. But having winter fade, it was having a disastrous effect on everyone. As much as winter was hated, it was impossible to live without._

 _oOoOo_

When Jack awoke, he noticed something odd, he could feel the warmth of the room. He had not been able to feel warmth since, well, ever. It was not an unpleasant feeling but he missed the comforting familiarity of the cold. Jack supposed this was what happened when your powers along with your soul were taken. Stretching, Jack wandered out of his room and long the winding corridors of Leif's home. Upon finding the kitchen, Jack found a plate of food with a note next it to him from Leif. It seemed Leif had left to get something for the journey but would be back soon. Settling down to eat, Jack sighed in contentment, it was nice to be looked after like this. If only the situation wasn't so dire, but then nothing would have changed. It was a delicate situation and Jack couldn't help but wonder, if they were successful in getting his soul back, what would happen next? Would things just go on as before? Or would things be different, better? Shaking his head to dispel those thoughts, Jack decided it was better to focus on the now, he could worry about the future later, when he had a soul. Speaking of souls, he wondered when being soulless would really set in. No one really knew what would happen as it was hardly a common occurrence, they had a vague idea of what would happen but nothing to in-depth. So far, the only things Jack knew about being soulless was that at first he would feel slightly hollow, then his emotions would disappear and lastly his physical form would fade as well. It honestly sounded quite horrifying and Jack would be lying if he said he wasn't scared and he intended to hang on as long as he could. Deciding it would be better not to dwell on such thoughts, Jack made his way to the library, hoping to find out more about Laella, the first spirit.

Jack was so engrossed with his reading he did not notice Leif standing in the doorway.

"I've got what we need, what have you found out about the spirit?" Jack startled at the sound of Leif's voice.

"Why are you back so early? I though you weren't supposed to back until afternoon?" Jack said, looking around confusedly.

"It _is_ afternoon, how long have you been reading?" Leif asked bemusedly.

"I started in the morning, I didn't realise how much time had passed, these books are very interesting." Tucked away in a small corner of the library, Jack could have spent days in there without noticing.

"Well, we should start planning where we are going, and whatnot. I don't suppose there's anything on where to find this spirit is there?"

"No one knows where she is, apparently, no one has seen her for centuries. But, it does say that there are a few spirits who could locate her… Nothing is definite though, the only information is speculation at best. Did you find anything that could help?" Jack asked hopefully, with just a touch of despair. This quest was getting more and more difficult by the second. It had seemed so simple at first, it was just find Laella, get his soul back and then everything would be good again. But just getting a vague idea of her whereabouts was about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack.

"I didn't find anything today, but we'll just have to keep looking. There will be something out there, what did you find out about those spirits who could find her?" Leif frowned, this was a lot more difficult than he was anticipating. Nobody knew what the consequences of the head winter spirit fading would be. As it was, winter had already been affected.

"There wasn't much, the spirits didn't have any particular job, I think they are just freelancers. Like the spirit who put me in this position in the first place." Jack said with a frown.

"It seems we will not be leaving tomorrow as we planned. But don't worry too much, we will put everything back to how it should be." Leif said comfortingly.

"Hmm, I think that I will make a list of everyone and anyone who could help us and then tomorrow we can start working through it I guess… I'll see you tomorrow morning." Jack turned and left, feeling as though he would be suffocated if he stayed in that room a second longer. Hurrying forward, he missed the worried glance that Leif sent his way.

Back in his room, Jack began sorting through the mental list of the spirits he knew, and writing down the ones who would be able to hopefully help him. Jack worked long through the night, only stopping when he felt as if his eyes could no longer stay open. This in itself was a worry, as a spirit, he shouldn't be getting so tired so easily. He used to be able to go for weeks before needing a nap. He would have to be careful that he didn't expend too much energy, especially as he didn't know of it was possible to use up too much energy and fade faster. Pushing those thoughts aside, Jack clambered into the soft bed, sinking down into the mattress. He could worry about all of that later, right now the only thing on his mind was sleep.

oOoOo

 _He was running. From what he didn't know, but there was the presence of fear in the back of his mind. He had to keep going, just a little while longer. Keep running, go faster. He looked behind, there was Nothing. Nothing at all. It was eating everything up in its path, there went his home on the lake, all the spirits he had ever known. He knew that if he didn't keep going, it would eat him up too. But he was tired, so tired. No one could keep this up forever. Not even him…_

 _And then he was falling, down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down. It felt like he would never stop falling, always falling. And then he hit the ground with a thump, and it was dark and he was alone. Except for the Nothingness, towering above him, just waiting to devour him…_

Jack woke up with a start, his heart beating wildly. His heart…that was new, and very, very odd. Spirits were technically dead, they survived through some sort of ancient magic and whatnot. No one really knew what, and no one was too keen to go poking around what kept them alive either.

It was just a dream, just a dream. Jack closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to calm down. He felt like he was on a high, the adrenaline still coursing through his body. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Jack noticed that the sun was only just rising, meaning he hadn't gotten much sleep. He sighed, he supposed he would have to watch that now that he was 'alive' or whatever the hell he was. Picking up the list from the night before, he studied it. There had to be _someone, anyone_ who could help. Someone out there, had to have an answer on where Laella was.

oOoOo

So, there it is. A little later than planned…. I seem to have more schoolwork than expected…

I would love it if you left me a review!

.M. x


End file.
